PREFACE, 



whether the descriptions are accurate. But sucfi 

 works as Mudie's Feathered Tribes of the British 

 Islands, Selby's Illustrations of British Ornitho- 

 logy, Montagu's Ornithological Dictionary, and 

 others of this class, require a considerably more 

 minute analysis ; and this, accordingly, we have 

 given them. In works of this kind we hare fre- 

 quently given long extracts, which are certainly 

 far better calculated to convey an idea of the spirit 

 of the author than a dry abstract review. We have 

 endeavoured to conduct the whole with perfect 

 impartiality. Whether or not we have succeeded 

 in attaining this desirable object, our readers will 

 be best able to determine. 



With regard to the synoptical tables of systems, 

 we have thought it better to give the names of the 

 several groups in French than in English, where 

 the classification was framed by a French Naturalist, 

 and have in many cases added the Latin or scien- 

 tific terms, in order to point out how well the 

 continental Naturalists have succeeded in giving to 

 each genus a French generic appellation, to which 

 British Naturalists have hitherto paid little or no 

 attention. 



In the Supplement we have thrown together 

 some hints for the formation of what would, in 

 our estimation, form a complete work on general 

 Ornithology. 



Neville Wood. 



Font on Hall, Derbyshire. 

 Jan. 1, 1836. 



